1447 – 27th November 2025

ARE STRONGER TOGETHER

The folded arms of the law

A mob outside a shul isn’t a protest. It’s intimidation the Met refused to stop

Yobs cluster outside a north London synagogue, yelling abuse and projecting an o ensive slogan on the wall and the Metropolitan Police does little more than watch.

The real scandal of Sunday’s so-called ‘anti-Zionist’ protest outside St John’s Wood synagogue was not the obscene noise on the street but the obscene silence of the law. The right to protest does not include

the right to menace. A demonstration of this nature outside a Jewish communal building is deliberately provocative. The location is the message. It collapses any distinction between Israel and British Jews. This was not political expression deserving legal protection. It was calculated harassment of Jews, The police had a duty to break it up, not stand aside.

The Met’s insistence that it had “no legal

mechanism” to move the mob is a convenient dodge. Policing relies on discretion and the ability to recognise when a crowd becomes intimidating. Sunday’s sinister scenes comfortably crossed that line. O cers were more concerned about avoiding confrontation than exercising their sworn duty – protecting people who have every right to enter a community building without intimidation. British Jews cannot feel they

are being penalised for being law-abiding. Yet that was the e ect. Had the shulgoers shouted back or surged forward, the police would have acted. Abiding by the law was the very thing that left them exposed.

The task of the police in this case was to ensure citizens could enter and exit their religious building in peace – a basic tenet of British society. On Sunday night, the Met let it fall apart on its watch. Again.

The Big Event

Lights, music… party!

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Community anger after shul targeted by anti-Israel mob

Jewish community groups have reacted with anger after ‘anti-Zionist’ protesters were allowed to rally outside St John’s Wood Synagogue on Sunday, with some thanking police for their support while others questioned why the Met Police was unable to prevent the demonstration, writes Daniel Sugarman.

The protest outside the building was supposedly in response to a series of pro-Israel events taking place on Sunday, including an aliyah fair – which provides advice and guidance to Jewish people considering emigrating to Israel.

Led by two groups calling themselves Jewish Anti-Zionist Action and Palestine Pulse, the protesters chanted calls for the destruction of Israel (including “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab” in Arabic), as well as the destruction of “f***ing Zionism”.

The Met had responded by saying “there is no legal mechanism to ban the protest from taking place”, but Public Order Act conditions had been imposed to prevent protesters entering a specific section of the area in the immediate vicinity of the shul.

However, pro-Palestinian pro-

testers failed conspicuously to abide by the conditions. In one video posted on social media, the antiZionist demonstrators can be seen protesting in an area the police had specifically specified as o -limits.

Questioned about their presence, a police o cer confirmed the conditions were in place and that the antiZionists were not supposed to be there, “but we don’t want to antagonise the situation”.

Subsequently, anti-Zionist protesters who had breached the conditions shone the message “stolen land sold here” on to the synagogue itself.” Meanwhile, some members of the synagogue were halted by the police and unable to access the site to pray.

United Synagogue president Saul Taylor said: “It cannot be that in modern Britain it is seen as acceptable to protest outside a place of worship, where Jews come together to pray and to attend community events.

“I commend the police for their swift action in putting in place and implementing the exclusion zone and thank the CST for their support.”

He asked the protesters to consider “the appropriateness of targeting our buildings and Jews who

BBC REACTION ‘NOT ENOUGH’

Bringing in a new editor for the BBC Arabic service will not be enough to address its problems with antisemitism and impartiality, according to former BBC standards adviser Michael Prescott, who wrote a highly critical memo about the service.

Prescott told the Commons Media Select Committee he welcomed BBC chairman Samir Shah’s promise to tackle the underlying problems after previous e orts had fallen short.

“I take him to be in good faith,” Prescott said. “There seem to have been changes of personnel, a measure in which the director-general seems to place great faith.

“But my view is that switching out an individual or two is not enough when you are dealing with a shocking catalogue of seeming errors. Then there must be more going on than the editor on the day wasn’t up to the job.”

Prescott’s leaked memo, which sparked the latest controversy, raised concerns about “systemic problems” of bias in some of the BBC’s coverage, especially reporting on Israel and Hamas by the Arabic channels.

The BBC is searching for a new editor for the channels to “try to get a grip on the service”.

simply want to attend a synagogue and Jewish community centre” while Board of Deputies vice-president Andrew Gilbert said: “It is obnoxious with a strong whi of antisemitism to demonstrate outside a synagogue.

“Our community stood up with a counter-protest from STH (Stop the Hate), CST worked on policing.

“We at the Board and others were clear that conditions were required. This sets a baseline of expectation. We will continue to discuss with police and government if there are

Peer condemns Farage claims

A Jewish Labour peer has strongly criticised Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader said he never engaged in racist behaviour “with intent” while he attended a top private school.

Farage responded directly to a press report about his behaviour while at Dulwich College, south London, as a teenager, based on allegations from more than a dozen school contemporaries of his, who recount alleged incidents of deeply o ensive behaviour, including claims of antisemitism, throughout his teenage years.

A spokesman for the Reform leader previously denied the claims on his behalf, but in an interview with broadcasters on Monday, Farage appeared to be not so forthright.

Responding, Lord Mike Katz, former chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: “Just when you thought Nigel Farage couldn’t sink any lower, he is trying to say abhorrent racist comments, including vile antisemitic insults, that don’t matter.

“He seems to think that you can racially abuse people without it being hurtful and insulting. Let’s be crystal clear: you can’t.

“Farage refuses to discipline the racist views of his MPs, and he won’t take action on the toxic culture within his party.

“He should finally come clean on claims over his past and apologise to those who bravely spoke out. Failure to do so would be yet more evidence that Farage is simply unfit for o ce.”

any further attempts to repeat.”

Earlier this year the government announced draft legislation which would prevent protesters demonstrating outside places of worship, including synagogues.

However, the proposal has not yet been selected for proper consideration by Parliament.

Stop the Hate meanwhile pointed out an apparent disparity in police response in the language used between Sunday night’s protest and an attempted protest in Tower

Hamlets last month. The group noted the Met said when UKIP was going to protest in Tower Hamlets: “Concerns of serious disorder have prompted the Metropolitan Police to intervene and prevent a demonstration from taking place in Tower Hamlets this weekend.”

However, STH argued, on the Palestinian Pulse protest in St John’s Wood, the police said: “There is no legal mechanism to ban the protest from taking place, however we have used Public Order Act conditions to prevent disorder and disruption.”

STH demanded: “Is this policing equally? What is the reason for the di erence?”

Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The targeting of a synagogue today by pro-Palestine activists – who protested outside a north London shul and projected o ensive language on to the building – demonstrates the total failure of policing policy.

“Not only have police chiefs abysmally failed to combat antisemitism over the past two years and midwifed an explosion of extremism in our country, but they cannot even protect Jewish institutions in Jewish neighbourhoods from the mob.”

Sewards named new LFI chair OFFICER HURT IN PA ATTACK

A Palestine Action activist struck a police sergeant with a sledgehammer, causing her to scream out in pain, after swinging it at another o cer at an Israel-based defence firm’s UK site, a trial has heard.

Six activists are accused of carrying out an attack at Elbit Systems in Bristol after breaking into the factory in a prison van in the early hours of 6 August last year, using sledgehammers as weapons and wearing red jumpsuits.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Jordan Devlin are charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder in relation to the alleged break-in.

Corner denies a further charge of causing police sergeant Kate Evans grievous bodily harm with the hammer.

Evans told Woolwich Crown Court on Monday she thought her spine was “shattered” when she was hit to her lower back while she was on her knees arresting a female activist.

The sergeant told the jury: “I can remember struggling with the handcu s. The ratchet bit got caught on the clothing, on her red boiler suit.

“Then I remember looking up at my colleague – he just had this shocked face on him, then I just remember pain in my back.

“It was just a massive shock vibrating through my whole body, a thud on my back. It just extended through my whole body.”

The trial continues.

Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) has announced Mark Sewards (pictured below), MP for Leeds South West and Morley, as its new honorary parliamentary chair. He succeeds Jon Pearce MP, who stepped down after becoming the prime minister’s parliamentary private secretary.

In his first engagement since taking up the post, Sewards met members of Leeds University Jewish Society (JSoc) last weekend, listening to Jewish students’ concerns about antisemitism and safety on campus since October 2023.

Sewards said he was “delighted” to assume the role, praising the “principled and determined leadership” of his predecessor.

He highlighted the “opportunity for a more peaceful future” in the Middle East, citing the UN-backed peace plan, and called for the return of remaining Israeli hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and international e orts to rebuild Gaza and reform the Palestinian Authority.

of LFI and the Labour government must be clear, two states for two peoples, promote peacebuilding and regional security, enhance the UK links with Israel and Palanti-Zionism”.

He emphasised the UK’s place in advancing peace and said the ambitions of LFI and the Labour government must be clear, including “to work towards two states for two peoples, promote peacebuilding and regional security, enhance the UK links with Israel and Palestine and combat anti-Zionism”.

Police and protesters outside the synagogue on Sunday

Michael Prescott

Cleese sorry for sharing faked antisemitic posts

John Cleese has issued a fulsome apology to Jewish News for inadvertently sharing false and antisemitic content online – as he reiterated his pledge to perform again in Israel.

In an exclusive hour-long interview, the 86-year old comedy icon said he was “extremely sorry” for reposting material he later discovered had been fabricated, including a false quote attributed to former Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotovely and another suggesting Israel “controls global finance”.

“I didn’t check them properly,” he said. “I couldn’t believe some of them had been completely invented. It was a mistake.”

The posts provoked wide-

spread anger among Israelis and British Jews, and came ahead of Cleese’s cancellation of three sold-out shows scheduled in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem between 26 November and 1 December.

Initial statements cited “security concerns”, while online speculation claimed that he feared BDS pressure.

Cleese said the decision stemmed from anxiety rather than politics. “I was beginning to dread it weeks before the posts,” he said. “I thought someone would ask me something political, and if I didn’t say the right thing, it would be unpleasant for the rest of the tour.”

Asked whether he feared for his safety, he replied: “I think there was always a security element… but I didn’t know.”

The Fawlty Towers and Monty Python’s Flying Circus star admitted to being “naïve” about how easily posts can be manipulated and said he now intends to stop commenting on Israel online.

“I don’t understand the internet,” he said. “People create things and don’t care that they can be disproved.”

Cleese condemned Hamas as “the nastiest of all terrorist organisations” and stood firmly by Israel’s right to defend itself, while expressing concern about some actions of this Israeli government. He also voiced concern about record levels of antisemitism in the UK, saying he was deeply saddened by reports from Jewish friends who told him how unsafe they now feel.

Cleese said he hopes to repair trust and confirmed he intends to return to Israel. “Yes – when I feel it’s safe,” he said. “And I will perform for free.”

SCHAMA CENTRE STAGE FOR JW3 GALA DINNER

JW3 welcomed 155 guests to its annual gala dinner, raising more than £400,000 to support the Jewish community centre’s year-round cultural, educational and community programmes.

The evening featured conversations with historian Sir Simon Schama, author Alice Sherwood and a quiz from comedian Ivor Baddiel, followed by the debut performance of JW3’s new winter pantomime, Cinderella and The Matzo Ball

The centre’s chair, Marc Nohr, said: “JW3 has become the beating heart of Jewish life in London – the safe, vibrant

and welcoming home of Jewish culture and conversation.”

He added that it “represents our refusal to retreat and our determination to live Jewishly with confidence and openness”, adding: “But that visibility and openness come at a cost. Security now costs JW3 almost £600,000 a year, and alongside rising energy and sta ng costs, keeping our doors open and our community safe has never been more expensive.”

Chief executive Raymond Simonson said: “JW3 is the safe home for Jewish culture and conversation in the UK – a proud beacon that

lights up the sky during these dark days”, while Sir Simon Schama called the centre “a place that is simultaneously heimishe and heroic – and that responds to monstrous lies and intimidation not by running away, but by doubling down on the exuberance and vitality of Jewish culture”.

As part of the evening, JW3 presented an ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’ to philanthropists Tony and Linda Bloom, recognising their generous and long-standing support of JW3 and the wider Jewish community through The Bloom Foundation.

John Cleese / Simon Schama / News

Sir Simon Schama called the centre ‘a place that is simultaneously heimishe and heroic’

John Cleese has announced he will reschedule his upcoming tour

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Budget disappointing, says Jewish Care boss

Jewish Care has expressed “disappointment” that chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget did not include further investment in either the social care or mental health sectors, writes Lee Harpin.

The charity’s chief executive Daniel CarmelBrown acknowledged while additional NHS funding was welcome, “the social care sector continues to face rising demand without the support needed to meet it”.

He added: “While additional funding for the NHS is good, the social care sector continues to face rising demand without the support needed to meet it. This gap has real consequences for older people, those living with dementia, individuals at the end of life and people experiencing mental health challenges.”

Wednesday’s heavily-leaked budget saw Reeves set out details of her second package of financial plans since becoming chancellor.

A number of measures from the yearly tax and spending plan had already been announced in the days leading up to the statement.

Other measures were revealed by accident after the UK’s budgetary watchdog, the OBR, mistakenly published its official forecast early.

Reeves said she was asking “ordinary people to pay a little bit more” after she raised taxes and ended the two-child welfare cap in the budget.

The move to end the two-child welfare limit will be welcomed by campaigners in the strictlyOrthodox community, who had long called for the government to drop the measure, which it argued unfairly impacted Charedi families, who traditionally have more children.

Reeves gave a post-budget press conference at an NHS hospital, explaining how the money being raised from the higher taxes will help the government to increase the health service’s budget in the coming years.

SIR BEN HELFGOTT’S LEGACY

WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD

A school in the Lake District has paid tribute to Sir Ben Helfgott, the Polish-born Holocaust survivor and celebrated British weightlifter, with an inaugural day in his honour, writes Michelle Rosenberg.

On what would have been his 96th birthday, The Lakes School joined forces with British Weightlifting, The Academy Programme and the Lake District Holocaust Project to mark Sir Ben Helfgott Day, celebrating his commitment to Holocaust education and his remarkable sporting career.

The school sits on the former Calgarth Estate, where 300 child survivors of the camps including Sir Ben, later known as the Windermere Children, were brought to recover in 1945.

His sons, Michael and Nathan, attended the event with his grandsons, Reuben and Noah. More than 150 people took part in community weightlifting and fitness sessions, from primary pupils to older adults, in a programme designed to reflect the values Sir Ben embodied.

Michael Helfgott said: “Windermere has always held a special place in the hearts of all our family. It was the place where my father had enjoyed his freedom after the horrors of the Holocaust, and it was here where he really began his rehabilitation together with fellow survivors, who had all been brought to England by the Central British Fund (now World Jewish Relief).”

Noting that last year the school had dedicated its new gym to his father, he added: “He would have been delighted that the school was opening itself out to the local community so as

to promote physical education for all.”

Sir Ben’s 16-year-old grandson, Noah Helfgott, said: “After the session we talked to some of the kids who seemed to really enjoy it and they asked about my grandpa and the other survivors that came to the area. I was amazed at how engaged the local community were with the story of ‘The Boys’ arrival in the area and the legacy they have left.”

Luke Brown, organiser of the even and PE teacher at The Lakes School ,said: “His journey from the Piotrkow ghetto, Buchenwald and Theresienstadt to international sporting success in weightlifting was nothing short of extraordinary.”

Nathan Helfgott paid tribute to the “remarkable” commitment of Brown and his colleagues, describing how they “ensure the memory of the group of survivors rehabilitated at the school site – who went on to contribute so positively to British life and community – is maintained by running this event and many others.

“Especially on the birthday date of my father, I imagined how happy he would have been to see the great work they have done and so many new weightlifters.”

She said spending plans had already been set ahead of the budget – with the NHS in line for getting a rise of three percent a year over the next three years in England.

Tackling the hospital backlog is the numberone priority, said Reeves.

National Insurance (NI) and income tax thresholds were frozen for an extra three years beyond 2028, which will drag more people into higher bands over this time.

Properties in England worth more than £2m also now face a council tax surcharge of £2,500 to £7,500, following a revaluation of homes in bands F, G and H.

Jewish Care’s chief executive said the charitable sector was “still absorbing the substantial impact of the increase in employers’ National Insurance introduced in the last budget”.

This, he said, meant Jewish Care was now having to find an additional £1.1m in income every year to do its work.

He added: “The Jewish community is fortunate to have organisations like Jewish Care and Jami providing essential social care and mental health services.

But, he went on: “These are made possible only through the generous support of our community, ensuring we can continue to be there for those who rely on us.”

The former leader of the British National Party has appeared in court accused of stirring up racial hatred after he shared a cartoon showing a giant spider with a Star of David on its head. Nick Griffin, 66, shared an image on social media in 2021 that was “threatening, abusive or insulting”, it is alleged.

The ex-member of the European Parliament is being privately prosecuted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).

Donal Lawler, for the CAA, said the cartoon was posted on Griffin’s X account – then called Twitter – when he was a “high profile individual” with tens of thousands of followers.

The former BNP leader faces two counts of stirring up racial hatred.

Griffin, of Welshpool, Mid Wales, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday via video link and did not indicate any pleas. He was released on unconditional bail to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 22 December.

UK Israel Alliance holds central London relaunch

Around 300 people attended the launch of the UK Israel Alliance (UKIA) in central London, as the organisation – formerly UK Israel Future Projects – unveiled a new name and mission, with a headline conversation featuring author and commentator Douglas Murray, writes Annabel Sinclair.

Interviewed on stage by Daily Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson, Murray

reflected on reporting from Israel and Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October atrocities, regional shifts shaped by the Abraham Accords and challenges and opportunities facing proIsrael advocacy in Britain.

UKIA says its rebrand signals a renewed commitment to strengthening UK-Israel ties by bringing together activists and thought-leaders “from all political, religious and ethnic backgrounds”.

by Lord Bew, UKIA’s multi-faith committee includes Sir William Shawcross, Tim Vince, Simon Marks, Bernard Shapero and Dr Efrat Sopher. The organisation plans a rolling series of public events with international speakers addressing key issues affecting both countries.

Lord Bew said the launch demonstrated “the depth of support for Israel outside the Jewish community”.

Israeli music icon Ishay Ribo wowed more than 1,250 British Jews at St John’s Wood United Synagogue as he headlined Sunday’s Aliyah Day fair, writes Jack Mendel. Led by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the World Zionist Organisation, together with the Jewish Agency and partner organisations, the event gathered

experts in everything from Israeli taxation and employment to education and dealing with local authorities, for those considering the move.

While the Aliyah Day fair was free, the concert was sold out, and there was barely a spare seat in the shul. Ribo described his own aliyah story, having moved from Marseille at the age of just nine.

Former BNP chief Nick Griffin

Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Chaired

An additional Aliyah Day event was also held in Manchester the following day, also featuring a concert by Ribo –which again, was completely sold out. Ishay Ribo

The Lakes school marks Sir Ben’s day

MINUTES A FATHER IS IN CARDIAC ARREST - WE’RE THERE IN

This is our average response time for critical emergencies

Jewish support for Labour and Tories plunges to a record low

Support for the Labour and Conservative parties among British Jews has fallen to its lowest total ever recorded, according to a new poll by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), writes Lee Harpin.

The survey, conducted in June, found just 58 percent of Jews surveyed expressed a preference for one of the two main parties – a dramatic drop from the 75-80 percent typically recorded in previous years.

The report stated: “For the first time in recent British Jewish history, support for the Labour and Conservative parties combined has fallen below 60 percent. Given that this is reflected in wider society too, it is not just a statistical anomaly – it may signal a structural shift in Jewish political identity.”

The main beneficiaries of the shift are the Green Party and Reform UK.

According to the JPR poll, one in five Jews (18 percent) now favour the Green Party, while Reform UK is supported by 11 percent.

The report found support for the

Greens grew nine percent among British Jews between the 2024 election and June 2025, outstripping the one percent rise in Green support among the wider electorate over the period. The rise predates the emergence of Zack Polanski, the Jewish non-Zionist leader of the party.

It added it was reasonable to assume Jewish people’s recent increased association with the two parties is driven in part by their views

on the war in Gaza, their perceptions and experiences of antisemitism in Britain and “the nature and strength of their Jewish identities”.

Support for Reform UK among British Jews rose from three percent in August 2024 to 11 percent in June 2025, although this was less than the 14 percent rise for the party within the wider electorate.

Rising antisemitism, the war in Gaza and a broader decline in trust

Post-budget seminar : How could the changes affect you?

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of mainstream parties appear to be driving this shift. The report noted:

“Given that this is reflected in wider society too, it is not just a statistical anomaly – it may signal a structural shift in Jewish political identity.”

JPR executive director Dr Jonathan Boyd said: “There are three key reasons why this report matters today. First, political polarisation anywhere is rarely, if ever, good news for Jewish communities.

“It points to a more fragmented, fraught and fractious political environment where populist and extreme ideas can take root, including antisemitic conspiracies, motifs and tropes.

“Second, the shift in Jewish political preferences that we see points to greater tensions within the Jewish community, and a decline in community cohesion.

“And third, it underscores key issues going on in the UK that should raise alarm bells everywhere –declining trust in mainstream politics and politicians, the growing appeal of simplistic answers to complex

political issues and the prospect of increased anger, uncertainty and division across the country as a whole.”

The report noted: “Reform UK is more likely to attract male, older, orthodox and Zionist Jews, while the Greens are more likely to attract younger, una liated and anti-Zionist members of the community.”

On decline of the main parties, it added: “It is important to note that it is also part of a larger, more general trend driving the UK population.”

The report found Jewish voters in 2024 were more likely than the general populace to vote for the main parties – 44 percent for Labour (compared with 34 percent of the general electorate) and 32 percent for the Conservatives (vs 24 percent).

By June, support for Labour among British Jews slumped by 13 percent, vs a nine percent decline in the wider electorate, while Conservative support fell by four percent.

LibDem support among British Jews remains “low and stable”, moving from eight to nine percent.

Keir Starmer and wife Victoria among Labour supporters

Pro-Hamas videos recorded in Premier League grounds 47 ARRESTED AT PALESTINE ACTION DEMO

Videos circulating online show a beIN Sports journalist recording political content from inside multiple Premier League stadiums, including material that appears to promote or praise Hamas-linked figures and attacks, writes Annabel Sinclair.

The footage raises questions over how political messaging was filmed inside areas accessible only to accredited media.

The clips, compiled by investigative reporter David Collier, show London-based beIN reporter Ibrahim Khadra recording political commentary from pitch-side walkways, media gantries, concourse areas and interview zones at Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United, Fulham and Wembley Stadium. Club branding, sponsor boards and restricted-access infrastructure are visible in multiple videos.

Posts filmed from inside Premier League grounds and reviewed by Jewish News include praise for “armed resistance” in Gaza and criticism of Palestinian Authority security forces.

In one clip recorded at Stamford Bridge, Khadra posted an image of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accompanied by text honouring him as a “martyr”.

Additional historic posts on his accounts appear to celebrate attacks on Israeli civilians,

describe shootings near synagogues as “heroic operations”, praise militants responsible for mass-casualty bombings and applaud rocket strikes on Israeli towns.

Some clips were recorded shortly after the 7 October Hamas attacks.

Premier League and FA regulations prohibit political or ideological expression from anyone entering stadiums, including accredited journalists.

Rights-holding broadcasters such as beIN Sports also maintain internal guidelines banning political or extremist content from being

created or shared within designated controlled media areas.

It is unclear whether Khadra was attending certain matches in an official beIN capacity, whether stewards or club officials knew he was filming political commentary, or whether oversight mechanisms were triggered after the posts appeared. Several videos remained publicly available for long periods and were only partially removed in recent months.

Some clubs contacted by complainants acknowledged receiving the footage, with several understood to have referred inquiries to the Premier League. Others did not respond.

The Premier League confirmed to Jewish News it has engaged with beIN Sports regarding the matter, but said beIN did not provide an onthe-record statement.

Background information provided to Jewish News indicates Khadra has not been accredited as a broadcast rights holder for England or FA-run matches since April 2025.

Accreditation for UEFA competitions –including the 2024 Champions League final – is handled by UEFA rather than the FA, and the FA does not have jurisdiction over media access for Premier League fixtures.

Jewish News has contacted beIN Media Group for comment.

Police say 47 people have been arrested after the latest protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action in London.

Defend Our Juries said demonstrators sat outside the Ministry of Justice building in Westminster with cardboard signs saying: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

Some gathered with Palestine flags, before Met Police officers carried people away.

It is the latest in a wave of protests since Palestine Action was banned after alleged attacks on an Israel-based defence firm’s UK site and two planes at RAF Brize Norton.

The ban, which began on 5 July, made membership of, or support for, the directaction group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Co-founder Huda Ammori is taking legal action against former home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws. A further court hearing is due to take place soon.

Scotland Yard said a further 120 people had been charged with showing support for Palestine Action over a demonstration in Parliament Square on 9 August, bringing the total number of charges for the offence in London to 254.

The latest to be charged are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court by 9 December.

Khadra and flag on the Wembley pitch

News / Green policy / Maccabi backlash

Green defector: IDF a terror army

A former Labour politician who defected to the Greens has said he is “pleased” the Zack Polanski-led party believes the Israeli army should be considered a terrorist organisation, writes Lee Harpin.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, who was suspended by Labour as an MP before the last election over what he called a “vexatious and politically motivated complaint” against him, told a press conference on his defection “many Jewish people in this country are very critical of Zionism, and it should not be treated as a fait accompli”.

Seated next to Polanski, the 39-year-old said he was pleased the Green Party has said the IDF should be considered a terrorist organisation.

“I think it is exactly the right kind of line that we should be taking,” he said. “And clearly, anyone who is active in those actions of the IDF, most recently or in command, must face justice in international courts. ”

very clear that an ethnocentric, militarised state cannot continue to exist in the current way it is, and what we need is a democratic state for all people in that region in a form that the people want in that area.

“It’s not for us to say whether it should be. One takes two states, whatever state, but the people in that area must democratically decide.

“I think that those are the important principles. We call out the genocide. We call out the ongoing occupation exhausted for almost 75 years. We say there is no excuse for it anymore.

in this country are very critical of Zionism, and it should not be treated as a fait accompli.

“And I think that’s where the public’s eyes have opened up to that now.”

Labour received a complaint about his behaviour before he was an MP, which led to his suspension from the party in May 2024.

It was announced this year an investigation had found “insu cient evidence to proceed”, and his full membership was restored.

The former Brighton Kemptown MP, who was criticised by the Board of Deputies in 2019 for hosting a Stop The War Coalition meeting in parliament to which Ahmed Alshami of the Yemeni Houthi group was invited, also used his latest media appearance to o er his view of the Middle East, and on Israel and Palestine.

“And we say ... there must be a reckoning in all those people who supported that kind of thing. And I’m willing, I’m determined to, in all my activities, to continue to say that. ”

“When this is over, there will be a reckoning,” he claimed of the war in Gaza. “And I think it’s

Russell-Moyle added: “You will know that I’ve been criticised many times for saying that probably prematurely, and I have had many ‘gotchas’ from di erent papers where I have criticised, or I have said that many Jewish people

In further controversies, Russell-Moyle was reported to have shared a link to an unredacted version of a Labour Party dossier on the handling of antisemitism, which contained the names and details of whistle-blowers.

In January 2023, he reacted angrily to a speech by Tory MP Miriam Cates in a debate on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, branding her as “transphobic” and “should be ashamed”.

He later apologised to Dame Rosie Winterton and to Cates for the tone of his response.

‘ISLAMIST AGITATORS’ ACCUSED IN MACCABI BAN

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered an inquiry into the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League game in Birmingham’s Villa Park after an MP questioned whether West Midlands Police were influenced by “Islamist agitators”. Dutch police have already reportedly claimed the move was based on false intelligence following a match involving Maccabi fans in Amsterdam.

The ban was heavily criticised, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer saying he was “angered by the decision”, but the Israeli club decided ultimately to decline tickets o ered to its fans.

GOLD PRICES AT RECORD HIGH!!!

Now Conservative MP Nick Timothy has questioned whether “Islamist agitators”, including groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, played a role in the decision.

Speaking in the Commons, Timothy called the ban a “disgrace” and said the decision was based on “fiction”.

Policing minister Sarah Jones confirmed the home secretary had commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services to conduct the inquiry, with findings expected by March next year.

The heavily-policed match passed without serious disorder.

Police in action at Villa Park

Zack Polanski with Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Join us on the Montenegro Trek as we take on breathtaking trails that will test your limits while raising funds for those in our community who need it most. Whether you’re an experienced trekker or just keen to put your boots on, this Challenge promises unforgettable scenery, adventure, and purpose.

To find out more or to register, talk to Julie on 07718 969138 or julie.braithwaite@norwood.org.uk or visit norwood.org.uk/montenegro

Mahmood addresses Jewish-Muslim strain

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood this week addressed the di culties of rebuilding trust between Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK following the October 7 Hamas attacks, writes Lee Harpin.

In a revealing interview, Mahmood, herself a religious Muslim, admitted she has been “deeply a ected” by hearing accounts of how Jewish children are taught how to respond to possible terror attacks at schools.

She also expressed concern that the “silent majority” of Muslims in this country were being held to account for the actions of the minority of extremists.

Discussing the challenge of building bridges between communities in an increasingly divided UK, the Home Secretary said: "I think fundamentally, people ... in this country are pretty good at extending the hand of friendship to one another, but

there’s definitely much more suspicion ... in the post-October 7 environment."

She continued: “Relationships between Muslim and Jewish communities, I know from personal experience, have been involved in a lot of that interfaith work. And I think that the environment for bringing people

together is very di cult.”

Mahmood told Radio 4 presenter Nick Robinson she had also been suspicious of those who attempt to play down problems around communal tensions, what she called the “let’s just celebrate everybody side of politics”.

She said: “My concern about how communities relate to one

Mizrachi in warning over IDF fundraiser

The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to Mizrachi UK after the organisation promoted a fundraising appeal seeking donations for equipment for Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers.

According to the Commission, this fundraising activity did not align with the charity’s stated objective of providing public benefit and risked harming its reputation.

Mizrachi UK’s stated purpose is to provide vocational training to Britain’s Jewish community and other members of the public who represent either the UK or Israel.

In its warning, issued on 18 November, the Commission said: “The Charity promoted a fundraising appeal for other organisations on its website and Facebook page, and the appeal stated the purpose to be one that did not further the Charity’s objects for the public benefit, specifically the raising of funds to provide equipment to soldiers in a foreign military.

“While the Charity’s resources were used to promote this appeal, there is no evidence that its funds were used in doing so.

“Promoting the appeal was not in the Charity’s best interests, and it risked the Charity’s reputation.”

The warning also noted: “The Charity failed to document decision-making in relation to the fundraising appeal.”

Additionally, the Commission said Mizrachi UK “failed to follow their policies and procedures, which were in place to manage the risks of fundraising and sending funds internationally. This was a failure to manage the Charity’s resources responsibly.”

The investigation was reportedly launched following a complaint by the UK-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, which accused Mizrachi UK of spreading hate speech and raising funds for Israeli soldiers.

The Commission ordered Mizrachi UK to ensure that all future activities, including fundraising, are clearly in furtherance of its charitable objectives for the public benefit. The charity must also implement adequate monitoring policies to manage risk and ensure that trustees follow due diligence procedures.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We have issued an o cial warning to Mizrachi (UK) Support Trust in relation to the charity’s promotion of an external fundraising appeal to provide equipment to soldiers in a foreign military that did not further the charity’s objectives for the public benefit. We will follow up with the charity’s trustees in due course to ensure the charity complies.”

Jewish News has contacted Mizrachi UK for comment.

another has been something that has been a feature of my politics for a long time. It’s why I’ve always supported and taken part in interfaith work.

“I represent a place where lots of people who are very di erent to one another live together.

“It’s why I don’t really like the ‘there’s nothing to see here’ side of politics or the ‘let’s just celebrate everybody’ side of politics, because actually, the messy truth is something in between.

“Yes, I think, as a Muslim, we should all get to know one another, but sometimes we don’t necessarily get along, and so you have to have rules of the game that everybody plays by. Which is why I always plead for tolerance.

“People think tolerance is a bad thing, but I actually think it’s a superpower, because you should be able to tolerate people you disagree with, and still live alongside peacefully and in harmony. ”

'TITANIC' WATCH SETS RECORD AT AUCTION

A gold pocket watch recovered from an elderly couple who drowned during the sinking of the Titanic has sold for a record-breaking £1.78m at auction.

It was the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, the auctioneers said.

The previous record was set last year when another gold pocket watch presented to the captain of a boat which rescued more than 700 passengers from the liner sold for £1.56m.

The 18-carat Jules Jurgensen engraved watch was owned by first class passenger Isidor Straus, who drowned when the ship sank in April 1912, costing 1,500 lives.

He and his wife Ida were portrayed in James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster Titanic film as the couple cradling each other as the Titanic goes down.

The watch was recovered from the body of Mr Straus, along with other personal e ects, and returned to his family. He was gifted the watch in 1888 for his 43rd birthday – the same year he became a partner in Macy’s department store.

Mr and Mrs Straus were among very few first class passengers to perish in the disaster.

Chanukah Lunch

Venue: North-West London

Price £20 per person

RSVP: 020 8732 6101 or email kklevents@kkl.org.uk

Shabana Mahmood was 'deeply shocked' by the Heaton Park attack

Mizrachi UK provides vocational training

Bristol venue admits its error for cancelling Oi Va Voi

A Bristol music venue has admitted it was wrong to cancel a performance by Jewish klezmer group Oi Va Voi in May after receiving “complaints about the band from activist groups”, writes Annabel Sinclair.

The venue acknowledged the band “was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny … because they are Jewish”.

Strange Brew released a statement saying it had “reflected on this decision” to cancel the band’s performance “and have realised that we made a mistake in doing so”.

There had been complaints about the band and the Israeli singer Zohara it was performing with after claims an album cover from

the singer, showing her harvesting watermelons, was a coded reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with pro-Palestinians having taken up the watermelon as a symbol.

The Strange Brew statement said: “We recognise that Oi Va Voi was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny, and Zohara’s album artwork interpreted negatively, because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer.

“Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists. They have no political a liations and as far as we are aware have never made any political statements, be it in their music or otherwise.

“Even if they did hold such

views, we recognise that under the Equality Act, performers cannot be excluded from our venue based on their nationality or their ethnicity, or their philosophical or religious opinions and beliefs which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, even if some people are opposed to those views.”

Strange Brew confirmed it will now introduce compulsory antisemitism training, run by the Antisemitism Policy Trust, for senior management and will make a donation to the Community Security Trust.

It also urged other venues and promoters not to hold Jewish artists to a higher standard “by demanding they account for the actions of

others or let the current conflict e ectively exclude Jewish acts from our venues”.

The Bristol venue said the issue had been resolved amicably.

Oi Va Voi welcomed the admission but warned the circumstances reflected a wider industry problem in how Jewish artists are treated.

JEWISH LEGACY AWARENESS MONTH

We are stronger together.

The band released its own statement saying: “The only reason we received a level of scrutiny that would lead to such false accusations is because of our heritage and the nationality of one of our performers.

“Anti-Jewish racism is racism, and racism is injustice, wherever it comes from,” it added.

Over the next 30 days of

Eurovision rules change after Israel score queried ALL INDIA’S BNEI MENASHE SECT WILL MOVE TO ISRAEL

The Eurovision Song Contest is changing voting rules after broadcasters expressed concern at how well Israel did in last year’s competition, writes Daniel Sugarman Organiser the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) says the number of votes members of the public can cast will be cut from 20 to ten and broadcasters and contestants will be banned from promotional campaigns by third parties, including governments.

Juries which recently have been used only for the grand final will now be brought back for the semi-final stage.

Broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain questioned the result of last year’s public vote, with Spain and Ireland in particular asking for a full review.

Both countries have called for Israel to be banned from Eurovision. A vote on this sched-

uled for this month was postponed after news of an IsraelGaza ceasefire and it is not yet clear whether a rescheduled meeting on the subject next month will take place.

Israel’s entry in last year’s contest, Yuval Raphael, came second after scoring highest in the combined public vote, with countries including the UK, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands awarding Israel the full 12 points.

Ireland’s voting public gave the country ten votes. Israel looked set to win up until the final minutes, when it was beaten into second place by Austria, which won due to a large number of votes from countries’ juries.

Eurovision director Martin Green said there had been “a lot of feedback from members and our fans” which had urged the organisers to “have a good look at our rules”.

The Israeli government is to aid the emigration of thousands of members of India’s Bnei Menashe community, with tens of millions of shekel set aside for flights, conversion classes, Hebrew language education, accommodation and other expenses.

The decision by Israel’s cabinet was reportedly proposed by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with immigration minister Ofir Sofer.

It will see the remaining members of the sect, based in northeast India and thought to total about 6,000, brought to Israel by 2030, with 1,200 to arrive by the end of 2026.

It is believed they will be settled in cities in Israel’s north, such as Nof Hagalil.

In a statement, Netanyahu called the move “an important and Zionist decision that will also strengthen the North and the Galilee”.

He added some 4,000 Bnei Menashe had been brought to Israel since the early 2000s as part of decisions taken by previous governments.

While Bnei Menashe consider themselves members of one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel (specifically the tribe of Menashe), they are not considered Jewish by rabbinical authorities and therefore ineligible for Israeli citizenship. Those who decide to emigrate will be required to undergo Orthodox conversions to Judaism.

Netanyahu met India’s minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, in Jerusalem on Monday, praising “Israel and India strengthening our strategic partnership, more investments, more innovation and a strong economic corridor from India through Israel to Europe. Together we are building economic power.”

Oi Va Voi received complaints by activist groups for being Jewish

Indian Jews arrive in Israel

This year’s song contest

PM souped up on Mitzvah Day

More than 5,000 portions of soup were delivered to vulnerable people across the UK, as Mitzvah Day marked its 20th anniversary with a record-breaking “Big Soup Serve” spanning more than 100 locations worldwide.

The annual Jewish-led day of social action drew participation from political leaders, faith figures and thousands of volunteers – including prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who hosted a special soupmaking event at 10 Downing Street.

Starmer welcomed Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks and young professionals of multiple faiths to cook a vegetable soup which was later donated to homelessness charity The Passage. The PM said: “I’m proud to have supported Mitzvah Day since it started ... a wonderful example of communities uniting around the common good.”

Across London, synagogues and community hubs opened their kitchens. At Alyth Synagogue, Progressive Judaism co-

lead Rabbi Josh Levy, Barnet mayor Rabbi Danny Rich and Rabbi Hannah Kingston cooked alongside Bishop of Edmonton Dr Jeremiah Anderson, Muslim leader Ahmereen Reza and a cross-communal group of volunteers for the synagogue’s refugee drop-in and homelessness projects.

“Mitzvah Day is a hugely important part of our annual Jewish calendar,” Rabbi Levy said. “It gives Jews the opportunity to step into social justice work and helps build the connections that allow us to stand side by side to make the world a better place.”

Project ImpACT’s Soup-a-thon at JW3 saw more than 100 teenagers from 30 schools prepare two varieties of soup using surplus ingredients from the Felix Project, joined by the mayors of Camden and Brent and guided by chef Adam Nathan.

Founder Chayli Fehler said: “This weekend highlighted the power of youth coming together to volunteer and support people of all faiths.”

The Chief Rabbi joined the United Synagogue’s Chesed Asylum Seeker Drop-in at Hendon United, praising the milestone year. “On the 20th anniversary of Mitzvah Day, I was deeply inspired to witness the wonderful work of the United Synagogue Chesed team,” Rabbi Mirvis said.

Elsewhere, South Hampstead Synagogue collected soup for St Mary’s Church’s winter shelter, while Ralli Hall in Brighton hosted chicken-soup lunches and entertainment for older community members.

In Manchester, Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation held a particularly meaningful collection drive weeks after a terrorist attack.

Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region CEO Marc Levy said: “It is poignant that members should host a Mitzvah Day event for families outside the Jewish community who are vulnerable and in need.”

Terror suspect claims he was coerced

A former restaurant owner accused of plotting a terror atrocity against Jews has denied he is a “shameless liar”, writes Joy Fal.

Tunisian national Walid Saadaoui, 38, is said to have targeted a mass gathering in the Manchester area but unknowingly shared his scheme with an undercover operative.

Saadaoui told a jury at Preston Crown he was “playing along” with the operative, who he believed to be a supporter of the so-called Islamic State. He had intended to sabotage any gun attack by eventually calling the police.

The defendant said he believed the contact was set up as a “test” by a Syrian man who had been threatening him since 2017 after they first met outside a mosque in Norwich.

Saadaoui said he “felt sorry” for Hamdi Almasalkhi, who he referred to as Person A, and gave him money

to help him fly home to his family before he later transferred more cash when he was informed they were in peril in their home country.

Soon after, Person A revealed himself as a “mujahideen” and said he would tell police Saadaoui had financed an extremist attack unless he followed his demands.

Saadaoui said he left his “very successful” Italian restaurant The Albatross in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in 2023 to evade Person A and begin a new life in Wigan, Greater Manchester, with his second wife, Michelle, and their two children.

But Person A tracked him down soon after and the threats online continued, he said.

Jurors were told by prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu that police investigations had since identified Person A as Almasalkhi, and he had left the UK in 2013 for Syria and

not returned. Mr Sandhu showed jurors Almasalkhi’s death certificate, which stated he died in February 2021 from natural causes.

The prosecutor said: “He died almost two years before you moved from Great Yarmouth to Wigan, didn’t he?” Saadaoui said: “No, he didn’t. He is alive.”

Mr Sandhu said: “You have seen the photographs of him dead in hospital, haven’t you?”

Saadaoui said: “I have seen a picture of someone dead. It’s not him. Mr Sandhu. One million per cent it’s not him.”

Mr Sandhu said: “This death certificate undermines your entire defence, doesn’t it?”

Saadaoui’s brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, of Wigan, has pleaded not guilty to failing to disclose information about terrorism acts.

The trial continues.

Sir Keir Starmer helps out at the Big Soup Serve

Hersh’s parents stir St John’s Wood shul

The parents of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin brought a message of courage, dignity, and what they called “choosing life” to a packed St John’s Wood Synagogue this week, delivering one of the most powerful Sacks Conversations yet, writes Annabel Sinclair.

Speaking with diplomat Daniel Taub, Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin shared reflections shaped by two years of anguish and activism, drawing repeated applause from the hundreds gathered to honour the legacy of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

The annual event also marked the launch of the Conrad Morris Edition Koren Sacks Humash, a new edition of the Torah with Rabbi Sacks’s commentary, produced over six years and dedicated in memory of businessman and communal leader Conrad Morris. His family funded the project and ensured the edition will be distributed widely across United Synagogue communities.

Goldberg-Polin told the audience she had made a conscious decision about how she would live with grief, saying she refused to allow trauma to “turn me ugly”.

The Torah’s call to “choose life”, she said, had become a daily discipline – not an abstraction but a deliberate act of moral survival.

She described receiving accounts from released hostages who spoke of moments of comfort and strength they had drawn from Hersh during captivity, including how he shared words that helped others hold on.

Those glimpses, she said, revealed “who he really was,” and have sustained the family as they navigate the emptiness left

Israeli-Arab influencer Nuseir

Yassin has described his mission to “show the Israel I want and like” and insisted he was now more hopeful about the future Middle East than at any time, writes Justin Cohen.

Known to 68 million social media followers as Nas Daily for his videos chronicling the lives of people in far-flung corners of the globe, he addressed more than 400 guests at Magen David Adom’s annual dinner last night.

In conversation with broadcaster Rob Rinder, he described how he left a safe job in tech almost a decade ago to create videos showing the “exact

MDA LAUDS HOSTAGE FORUM CHIEF

Jon Polin reflected on how familiar Torah passages now read di erently, particularly the courage shown by Nachshon stepping into the Red Sea and Joshua and Caleb standing firm against despair. Those examples, he said, have shaped his understanding of leadership during the past two years. He spoke of Hersh’s own instinctive ability “to take a text and turn it into a life”, recalling testimonies from fellow hostages who described his strength and compassion even in the darkest circumstances.

Addressing the challenges faced by young diaspora Jews who feel disconnected from Israel, Goldberg-Polin urged them to judge the country with the same democratic maturity they apply at home.

“Not everyone votes for the person in the White House or in Downing Street,” she said, calling it a “strange double standard” to demand unanimity from Israelis that is required nowhere else.

Polin described an encounter

in the United States where, after showing a photo of Hersh to a stranger, the response ignored their humanity entirely.

perfect tribute” to a man who never missed his weekly Torah portion and who believed deeply in ensuring Jewish learning was accessible to all.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Hersh had become “part of the narrative of Jewish life today”, and that because of his parents’ advocacy, “his legacy will be with Am Yisrael forever”.

He also paid tribute to the Morris family’s generosity and to the global impact of Rabbi Sacks’ writings, which he said continued to shape Jewish thought well beyond the UK.

Earlier in the evening, Dayan Ivan Binstock welcomed attendees and recalled how many of Rabbi Sacks’ most influential ideas were first delivered from the same pulpit.

He praised the Morris family for ensuring that the new edition would reach “every shul in the United Synagogue”, and he described the project as a fitting tribute to a man who “lived for others” and whose communal impact “was absolutely enormous”.

A tribute film remembered Conrad Morris’ decades of philanthropy and his unwavering commitment to Jewish education and t the State of Israel. His son David Morris told the audience that dedicating the new Humash in his father’s memory was “the

opposite” of the stories that tend to dominate discourse around the Middle East, or as Rinder put it, to “turn the toxicity of social media into something positive”.

“Twenty percent of Israel is Arab,” he said. “One force says you’re Palestinian and you shouldn’t have anything to do with Israel. Another force says we need to share the land and build up the land together. To escape the first force is hard. To call myself Israeli means I love Israel. It means freedom of speech. It’s the work that organisations like MDA are trying to do. This is what we should all be trying to promote, whatever the cost.”

The London-based head of the Hostages Forum has been honoured at Magen David Adom UK’s annual dinner, writes Justin Cohen. Nivi Feldman, who dropped everything to support the families of Israel’s hostages in Gaza over the last two years, picked up the inaugural Bridge to Israel Award ahead of a wider ceremony organised by MDA in April next year.

a deeply personal address from Gila Sacks,

The evening concluded with a deeply personal address from Gila Sacks, who said seeing congregants reading from the new edition had moved her profoundly.

Her father’s commentary, she said, had become “part of the furniture of our Jewish life”, a presence that accompanies families each week.

She reflected on the page layout itself – Torah text surrounded by generations of commentary – as a reminder that “there is always more than one truth”, a principle she said the world urgently needs to relearn.

As the Goldberg-Polins left the synagogue, their message lingered: that even amidst devastation, Jews can choose dignity, courage and radical hope –and that doing so is itself a form of resistance.

“The most controversial topic in the world today is Israel and Palestine. Each time you talk about it, you pay a price. But you’ve got to humanise Israelis and Jewish people around the world and humanise Arabs as well. If you get to know someone, it’s very hard to hate them.”

He describes this as the safest time to land in Tel Aviv and paints a picture of a time when you could have lunch in Beirut, dinner in Damascus and then head back to Jerusalem in one taxi ride.

As for the two million Israeli Arabs within Israel, he said, they had a decision to make after the horrors of 7

The self-e acing Feldman organised delegations of family members and helped coordinate campaigns galvanising shuls and politicians in raising awareness of those held in Gaza.

Daniel Burger, MDA UK chief executive, said the award recognised her “brilliant humanitarian campaigning through the toughest times. She isn’t part of the AngloJewish establishment and carries no o cial title, but has made such an impact.”

The award was presented by Dr Shoshan Haran – who was herself held captive for 50 days and whose husband, Avshalom, was murdered – presented the honour.

Saying she was “deeply touched”, Feldman told Jewish News: “These past two years have been about standing with the hostage families and ensuring their voices were heard across the UK.

“It has been an honour to support them and to advocate for the hostages during the darkest moments.

“MDA sits at the heart of Israeli society, and their work represents the very best of our people. I will continue to do everything I can until every hostage is brought home for a dignified burial.”

October. “I think a large proportion have decided – including me – that we belong in Israel,” the former Harvard student told the audience. “That is the shock it takes to be able to see clearly. We don’t want to live under

a Palestinian or Jordanian government. Despite the hardships, we are all Israelis.”

The man hoping to become the first Israeli-Arab unicorn founder said the integration that is evident in healthcare and in Magen David Adom’s workforce today would spread to tech, agriculture and eventually government, the entrepreneur predicted. He told the gathering, “If you’re looking for something meaningful, I think doing anything with MDA fulfils that. There’s at least 100 stories a day worth telling there. Half your e orts should be to save lives and half to tell everyone about it..”

by his murder.

Nivi Feldmen received the inaugural award

Hersh Goldberg-Polin (inset); his parents

Yassin shows the Israel he likes response ignored paid generosity and to beyond the UK.

How I slept rough for charity –the cold seeps into your bones

Louise Robey on her personal charity mission for Chanukah

As a Jewish woman, I carry the legacy of resilience and responsibility. Tikkun Olam – repairing the world – isn’t just a value but a call to action. And sometimes, the most powerful way to lead is to lie down on the pavement, feel the cold press into your bones, and listen as never before.

CEO Sleepout is a national initiative where business leaders sleep rough for a night to raise funds and awareness for homelessness. I could’ve headed for the CEO Sleepout at Lord’s Cricket Ground in St John’s Wood, a familiar, safe, even poetic choice. But I decided to walk in the shoes of a homeless person. No itinerary. No warm welcome. Just one IKEA bag, a small backpack, £10 in my pocket and a whole lot of uncertainty. I dressed like a ragamu n – nothing you’d expect from a nice Jewish girl from north London. And that was the point.

I headed to She eld where I wandered through unfamiliar streets searching for food,

shelter and direction. The rain was relentless. The cold seeped into my bones. And with poor circulation, every step felt heavier. Yet I knew this was only a glimpse of what thousands endure daily. Later that evening, I joined more than 30 leaders in She eld for the sleepout. We were nervous, trepidatious – some had panic attacks. But we knew we had to do it.

I wasn’t there just as a CEO, I was invited as a voice for impact. Through my work, I help leaders raise their voices and drive change, whether inside organisations or for charities. I write their narratives, build movements and help them lead with empathy and purpose. But I hadn’t done it from the perspective of someone experiencing homelessness. That night, I did.

I lay on my thin plastic sheet on the concrete at Steel City Stadium. I had a sleeping bag but that was all. It wasn’t even that cold that night but sleeping outdoors it gets right under your skin. I managed sleep for around three hours.

This was about confronting the raw, real challenges young people face every day. In the UK, suicide is the leading cause of death for those under 35. In 2024, more than 1,800 lives were lost, mirroring the tragic figures from 2023. O cial data shows the crisis is ongoing, with no significant improvement year on year.

The stories we heard were devastating. Children so abused, so neglected, that some experiences are too painful to repeat. These weren’t just heartbreaking, they were indictments of a system that’s abandoned its most vulnerable.

I’ve always believed leadership isn’t about comfort, it’s about courage. Being a voice for impact means stepping into discomfort, asking bold questions, and amplifying stories that don’t fit the mainstream narrative.

So far, I’ve raised nearly £3,500 personally. Collectively, we’ve raised more than £30,000 and it’s still rising. But it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what’s needed.

I won’t change the world overnight. But I helped at least five people into shelter for December – and that’s the best Chanukah gift I could have asked for.

SPEAKERS SHARE STORIES OF FORCED FLIGHT AT JW3

An event at JW3 to mark the departure and expulsion of Jews from Arab lands and Iran opened with on-screen testimony, writes Beatrice Sayers.

Speakers told of their forced flight from Egypt, Syria and Iraq: the sudden urgency some faced – “there’s no time to get your medicine, just forget it” – as well as the deep sense of belonging that was overturned in an instant.

But the sold-out event was also a 20th birthday celebra-

tion for Harif, the UK charity that promotes the history and culture of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa.

The mood shifted as the stage filled with the JudeoArabic party sounds of the Eastern Beats collective. Minutes after delivering a formal speech, the president of the Board of Deputies, Phil Rosenberg, was boogieing in his seat.

Marc Cave, director of the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Nottingham-

shire, said: “If ‘Jews don’t count’, then brown Jews don’t even exist. The world is ignorant of the Sephardi and Mizrahi communities, who went back home after 2,500 years of living in exile.

“That’s why I love what Harif does. Tonight we watched soulful performances in Judeo-Arabic, Yemenite Hebrew and Farsi.

“What a beautiful celebration of not just coexistence, but co-creation.”

Chanukah Gift Fair

DISCOVER THE WARMTH OF CHANUKAH

Sunday, 7th December 11:30 – 4:00pm

Hammerson House, Wohl Campus 50A The Bishops Ave, N2 0BE

Over 20 stalls selling jewellery, clothing, crafts and much more Find the perfect gifts for your friends and family

Delicious lunch and other Chanukah treats for sale, like latkes and doughnuts

Live music and children’s activities

For further information please contact reach@nightingalehammerson.org or phone 07597590330

nightingalehammerson.org/reach/community-engagement/

Overnnight lodging, Sleepout style

Louise Robey

Special Report / Pro-Palestinian movement

Inside the fast fracturing pro-Palestine movement

Organisation at the heart of anti-Israel protests in this country is finding itself challenged by even more extreme elements, writes Daniel

In March, the PSC’s (Palestine Solidarity Campaign) Chelmsford branch announced: “It is with deep sadness that we recognise that our vision no longer aligns with the greater Palestine Solidarity Campaign. As we are no longer able to pursue our goals under PSC, we therefore tender our resignation.”

A few days earlier, the branch had abruptly cancelled an “educators workshop” it had promoted, “due to unexpected developments.”

What happened? David Miller, the former Bristol University Professor, told Twitter followers: “It’s my understanding that this occurred after a vicious monstering by head office. All because PSC Chelmsford had the temerity to invite me to speak.”

To a bystander, it might not be hard to understand why a national campaign would not be keen to associate with a man who now produces a show for Iranian state television, attended the funeral of Hezbollah’s leader in February, and regularly rants about “Jewish supremacy”. But this fails to acknowledge the shifting situation within the wider “pro-Palestine” movement. Put simply, while the Jewish community struggles over whether to embrace highly questionable people who define themselves as “Zionist”, another struggle is taking place within the UK’s wider anti-Zionist movement over who to embrace - and who to shun.

In July, for example, there were reports that Lowkey – a rapper known for vehement anti-Israel activism –was quietly dropped as a PSC patron in August 2023. The source of this claim – the usually execrable Electronic Intifada – claimed this was because Lowkey had been publicly supportive of Palestine Action – and Ben Jamal, the PSC’s director, was

opposed to the direct action group. (Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July).

This is not a recent phenomenon. Others once closely involved with the PSC have in recent years been relegated to the very far sidelines. Tony Greenstein, an extreme anti-Zionist Jew, was one of the PSC’s founders. In recent years he has had little to do with it, reportedly resigning in 2022. George Galloway used to be a regular PSC rally speaker. In June this year he told viewers of his show: “The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has blacklisted me for 10 whole years for issues which have zero to do with Palestine.”

The PSC, however, has previously dropped such connections relatively quietly. It has effectively operated a broad-tent policy, specific on certain top-line issues but otherwise maintaining an atmosphere enabling people within the movement to agree to disagree. In certain circumstances, where individual branches of the organisation have breached behaviours it deems to be acceptable (a high bar to clear), PSC main office acts.

In February 2023, for example, the Brixton branch of the PSC shared a pamphlet titled “How to talk to Zionists” on Instagram, which encouraged people to call for the sacking of Zionist co-workers, teachers or lecturers.

When asked about this, the PSC said: “The post did not reflect the values of PSC; the branch was contacted and immediately removed the post.”

But since 7 October 2023, the operating landscape for the PSC has changed. Even as Hamas carried out its slaughter, PSC head office quietly put in a central London demonstration request to the Met Police.

Less quiet was the organisation’s Manchester branch, releasing a statement titled, “Manchester supports the Palestinian resistance”, which

Sugarman

began saying: “In a heroic move today, Palestinian freedom fighters from besieged Gaza broke Zionist colonial barriers and entered settlements built on Palestinian stolen land…The brave fighters gave us all a glimpse of a liberated Palestine as they took over entire Israeli settlements”.

The PSC soon after suspended the Manchester branch officers, saying such postings were “unacceptable, do not reflect the positions of PSC and do not serve the legitimate cause of the Palestinian people and their struggle for justice and liberation”. It also said “international law makes clear that the deliberate killing of civilians, hostage taking and collective punishment are war crimes. We condemn any such acts, no matter who perpetrates them”.

It did not name the perpetrators of 7 October. Similarly, the PSC’s official 9 October statement briefly referred to “the severe escalation of violence since 7 October” before spending 12 paragraphs blaming Israel, with no mention of Hamas.

The PSC is clearly aware the majority of the British public are repelled by Hamas. When the British government decided, in late 2021, to proscribe Hamas in full as a terrorist organisation, PSC con-

demned the move, saying it would “do nothing to advance the cause of peace”. But when a legal case was launched this year to de-proscribe Hamas as a terrorist group, the PSC appeared completely uninvolved.

In the atmosphere of the last two years, it has clearly been harder to keep the fractious coalition happy. In March 2024, the organisation got its West Midlands branch to withdraw support from a fundraising event featuring terrorist hijacker Leila Khaled. The event itself still went ahead, with Huda Ammori, a founder of Palestine Action, as another speaker.

However, the Chelmsford incident suggests the PSC’s grip is slipping –that it is being challenged by those who feel it does not go far enough.

David Miller and the PSC

In 2021, Professor David Miller was dismissed by Bristol University. For the last few years, he has served as a producer and regular participant on a show produced by the Iranian Regime’s state broadcaster, Press TV, called “Palestine Declassified”. It engages in pathetic yet sinister attempts to try and ‘reveal’ what it sees as the extent of Zionist influence and control in British society, targeting organisations and individuals.

Miller has attacked anti-Israel institutions and individuals he deems insufficiently dedicated to the cause, from Omar Barghouti and the BDS movement to Zohran Mamdani. The PSC was not immune. In July 2024 Miller described “attempts to marginalise” those “taking the fight to the Zionists and genocide supporters. There is an issue with PSC and STW [Stop the War] nationally over deplatforming and marginalising anti-Zionist voices. We need to have a debate about such questions and about strategy in the movement.”

In May 2025, however, Miller targetted Ben Soffa, the PSC’s secretary, who is Jewish. The aim of his piece appeared to essentially be to try and ‘prove’ that Soffa, an anti-Zionist, is in fact a crypto-Zionist. Soffa’s participation in Jewish communal life is held over him. The synagogue he chairs uses a Liberal Judaism prayerbook? Liberal Judaism is Zionist. That community sends a representative to the Board of Deputies? The Board is Zionist. Soffa’s parents? Zionists. He expressed fondness for Reform Judaism? Reform is Zionist. He worked for Labour at the same time it employed an Israeli who did IDF service almost a decade earlier in Israel’s elite cybersecurity unit? To

George Galloway Jeremy Corbyn

Masked attendees at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally in London last month

Miller, this is clearly suspicious.

In his article, Miller describes the PSC’s censorship of him, and says: “That there are actual believing Zionists in the highest levels of the organisation starts to reorient our understanding toward the idea that the PSC has been, at best, penetrated or infiltrated by a Zionist asset, and, at worst, is itself an asset of the Zionist regime. And there must be questions about Soffa specifically. Was he placed in PSC to cause the damage that he evidently has?”

The PSC itself seems increasingly incapable of exercising control over its cohorts. Take Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, infamous for rants about “Jewish supremacy” in the UK. PSC high command has steered clear; its individual branches have not. Last month, Aladwan was arrested. The Bristol branch of PSC later posted: “Dr Rahmeh has faced repeated harassment and investigations for speaking out about Palestine and calling for justice. Today’s arrest sparked outrage and an incredible show of solidarity from supporters across the country.”

The PSC’s Gloucestershire branch claimed she was “being silenced by the GMC following pressure from the Israeli lobby.”

Since then Aladwan, who has already appeared via video on Palestine Declassified to decry “Jewish supremacy”, posted a picture of

herself meeting Miller, announcing “the launch of anti-Zionist movement (AZM). The umbrella group defining anti-Zionism and grounding our struggle in the thawabet to tackle Jewish supremacy.”

The thawabet, a charter created by the Palestinian National Council in 1968, lists among its points that, “Jews who had normally resided in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion will be considered Palestinians”, and “armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine. This is the overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase.”

In other words, a document dedicated to ethnically cleansing millions of Jews from Israel, via violent means.

The curious case of Corbyn

The clearest example of cracks within the pro-Palestine movement is the targeting of Britain’s highest profile pro-Palestinian politician (and longtime PSC patron) Jeremy Corbyn. Recently, Corbyn has been questioned at events organised by Your Party, the new political grouping created around him, by activists demanding to know if he is a Zionist. Corbyn and his staff have seemed confused – and understandably so. His support for the Palestinian cause is decades old. He once referred to both Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends” (prior to the full proscription of both groups) and described how “Zionists… clearly have two problems. One

is they don’t want to study history, and secondly, having lived in this country for a very long time, probably all their lives, they don’t understand English irony either.”

Two weeks ago Corbyn moved to silence such people by stating that Your Party is committed to “absolute opposition to Zionism”, while throwing in a conspiracy theory about how “the whole Zionist project was about expanding Israel forevermore, which is exactly what Netanyahu is doing with the Greater Israel project.”

But the targeting of Corbyn did not come out of nowhere. In July, David Miller tweeted: “Jeremy Corbyn is a liberal, a Zionist, and a coward who — despite being buoyed by the most popular mass political movement in recent British history — threw it all away to the Zionist movement rather than stand and fight, betraying all his comrades and ensuring certain defeat. He is the last man in the land fit to lead a new socialist party. No lessons have been learned.”

A few weeks later, Asa Winstanley of Electronic Intifada accused Corbyn of “pandering to Zionism”, following soon after by citing an interview with Corbyn and asking “Why does he still refuse to say he’s anti-Zionist, now he’s free of Labour pressure?”

In late August, when Corbyn was first challenged directly, Miller shared the video, stating “I know it’s

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hard to get your head around this, but we have to face facts. If not now, when? #DismantleZionism.”

Learning the lessons of history

It seems likely that many younger anti-Zionists have never heard of the Abu Nidal organisation.

Named after the nom de guerre of its founder, Sabri Khalil al-Banna (“Abu Nidal” means “father of struggle”), it split from the PLO in 1970. It was subsequently responsible for the murders of hundreds of civilians around the world, in dozens of terror attacks.

But it would ultimately become better known for the murder of hundreds of its own Palestinian members, accused of treason. As Abu Nidal’s paranoia grew, members would regularly be tortured.

When the cells grew too full to house all accused, new suspects were buried alive, with a steel pipe connecting them to above for air. If (or when) Abu Nidal determined guilt, a bullet came down the tube.

Eventually, the ANO collapsed under the weight of its own paranoia. It is up to the wider pro-Palestinian movement in Britain whether to pursue such a path – in terms of rhetoric, rather than torture and death. Zionists like me will certainly not mourn the movement’s inevitable self-destruction if they do.

We specialise in getting you the very

Rapper Lowkey performing at a PSC rally

What will be enough to cut through the noise?

LEO PEARLMAN TV & FILM PRODUCER

On 7 October 2023, the world saw something unprecedented: the only massacre in human history broadcast live by its perpetrators. Not a battle, but a pogrom, executed with openly genocidal intent.

More than 1,400 innocent men, women and children were hunted, raped, tortured and murdered, while the killers streamed it with pride. And before the bodies were identified, while Jews were still being hunted in southern Israel, the lies began:

“Israel killed its own. The numbers were exaggerated. No rapes. False flag. Staged. Only soldiers…” Holocaust denial 2.0, delivered at the speed of the algorithm.

It was the speed and ferocity of those lies that pushed me to make We Will Dance Again, a film about the Nova Festival massacre.

Nova struck the deepest nerve: a place of joy and freedom turned into a killing field. I believed that showing those 12 hours plainly,

unfiltered, without caveat, might cut through the noise. This was an attack on the young and innocent. It could have been Glastonbury, Coachella, our own children, or anywhere.

The film travelled the world: BBC, Paramount, CBS, Europe, Australia, and Canada. It screened in over 200 cinemas, won festival awards, and won two Emmys.

And yet I still ask: did it reach the people who needed to see it? Not our community, but beyond it. Those whose worldviews have been shaped by the lies and dehumanisation pumped out since the massacre itself.

Honestly, I’m not sure. The people who most need the truth are the least likely to seek it and the quickest to dismiss it.

So, the question became: if this wasn’t enough, what would be? What could it be? And what hope do we have of making real change?

And then I walked into the Nova Exhibition in Los Angeles.

I thought I was prepared. I had watched every piece of footage available while making the film. I believed I had already seen the worst of humanity. But nothing prepared me for that exhibition.

The burnt, bullet-riddled cars, bloodsoaked clothing. The footage, the sounds, the screams, the music still playing. The survivors were walking beside me in silence. For a moment, you are not remembering 7 October, you are inside it, and the impact is visceral, physical, su ocating, undeniable.

What moved me the most wasn’t the material itself. It was the people standing next to me in attendance.

Because across Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Toronto and Berlin, over 700,000 people have attended the Nova Exhibition in person: elected o cials, Prime Ministers, Governors, Mayors, diplomats, religious leaders, educators, celebrities, athletes, and most importantly, entire school communities and university cohorts.

Those schoolchildren and university students are emblematic of the challenge we face, because the next generation does not want to be told; in fact, they won’t be told. They need to see it. They need to feel it. They need to breathe it.

And there is nowhere on earth that needs

that more right now than London.

Antisemitism in Britain is rising at a rate we have never seen before. Our institutions – universities, arts bodies, unions, and the media – are buckling under a sickness of Jewhate dressed up as political discourse.

We spend our Shabbat dinners debating the same questions: What can we do? Where will we go? What happens if it gets really bad?

Well it is already that bad. And no, bringing the Nova Exhibition to London will not magically fix the country. But it will move the needle, stem the tide, and drag the truth kicking and screaming into the light in a way that cannot be ignored, rewritten, softened or explained away.

And right now, given where we stand, that matters. Because this is not just about honouring the dead; it is about protecting the living. It is about fighting for the dignity of our children and the choices of our grand children.

Los Angeles stepped up. New York stepped up. Chicago, DC, Miami, Toronto, and Berlin all stepped up. Now it’s London’s turn. And as always, no one else is coming to do it for us.

‘I got the idea from the story of King Solomon. I suggest carving Ukraine up. Zelensky says it would be kinder to give it all to Putin, and so the whole country goes back to Zelensky. It’s called wisdom, JD!’

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Support Israel’s global NGOs to back its future

AYELET LEVIN-KARP

CEO, SOCIETY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Two years after the Gaza war began, Israel finds itself in a moment of deep global isolation and intense scrutiny. Yet away from the headlines, another crisis has quietly unfolded: the erosion of Israel’s international development and humanitarian footprint.

Across Africa, southeast Asia and Latin America, more than 150 Israeli NGOs, companies and social enterprises embody Israel’s most aspirational values – innovation, compassion, and responsibility. But since the war, they have faced shrinking partnerships, withdrawn funding and growing hesitancy from international institutions. Some have had to close.

This challenge is not just about budgets or policy, but Israel’s global purpose – and on our ability to radiate moral leadership at a time when the world is questioning our intentions.

Israel did not reach this point only because of the war’s strategic and moral complexities,

fought against a ruthless enemy in a densely populated area. It is also the result of a broader phenomenon: the resurgence of anti-Israel and antisemitic forces that seized the crisis as an opportunity to isolate Israel and hold it to an impossible and often hypocritical standard.

Now, with hostages home and a political framework to end the war emerging, Israel can begin shifting from sheer survival toward vital work of renewal: rebuilding trust, our society, and relationships with the global community.

Rebuilding cannot be just political or diplomatic, but moral and visionary. Israel’s founders believed it could be a “light unto the nations”, a source of ingenuity and human progress. The light of that vision still flickers in the work of Israel’s development professionals. A recent example illustrates this clearly.

Dorin Brener Turgeman of the Israeli organisation NALA was elected chair of the NTD NGO Network – a global coalition of over 100 major actors combating neglected tropical diseases. The first Israeli to hold this position, her election during a period of diplomatic isolation sends a message: Israeli expertise and commitment to the world still earn genuine trust.

And yet, the ecosystem behind such achievements is under major strain. Since 2023, withdrawal of USAID funding to Israeli partners has cut more than £11.4m in direct support. Philanthropic giving dropped as donors redirected funds toward emergency needs inside Israel. Development organisations reported losing over £1.5m in contributions in 2024 – a trend continuing into 2025. These sums may seem modest, but for this resource-strapped community, the impact is profound.

Reputational obstacles have become routine: cancelled partnerships, conference exclusions and academic rejections. The fear of political backlash shapes where – and sometimes whether – Israeli professionals can operate abroad.

But this ecosystem has not collapsed. These organisations were built in crisis, shaped by constraint and trained to innovate under pressure. Their resilience is extraordinary. They continue to deliver health services, food security solutions, gender-equity programmes, climate innovation and humanitarian relief to some of the world’s most vulnerable.

Jewish communities worldwide can make a

decisive di erence. What is needed is not only financial support but renewed partnership – a shared e ort to rebuild bridges, restore trust and amplify stories showing Israel at its best.

Diaspora Jewish communities possess unique strengths: global networks, professional expertise, and a moral tradition rooted in Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. They can help ensure Israel is seen not only through the lens of conflict but through its contributions to human dignity and sustainable development.

Such engagement is not merely charitable, but strategic. It strengthens Israel’s international standing, reconnects young Jews to meaningful global action and helps rea rm Israel’s role as a constructive, compassionate actor on the world stage.

Now is the moment to reimagine Israel’s global purpose – not as the Startup Nation alone, but as an Impact Nation, that contributes solutions, not just technologies; empathy, not just security; leadership, not just resilience.

Supporting this vision is an investment in Israel’s future. It ensures that Israel’s light continues to shine – not only for its own sake, but for the good of the world.

Opposing antisemitism can’t be a partisan game

DANIEL GOLDMAN FOUNDER, INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH & ZIONIST RESEARCH

Diaspora Jews face a choice: will they allow the fight against antisemitism to become just another front in the ongoing culture wars, or learn from America’s mistakes before it’s too late?

Across the Atlantic, American Jews have come late to discovering a painful lesson: when combating antisemitism becomes a political weapon, everyone loses.

Two recent competing initiatives expose this dangerous divide. The conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther focuses exclusively on radical left and Islamist antisemitism, while the more liberal left-leaning Nexus Project created The Shofar Report

In its own words, the latter is concerned about the “trivialisation and weaponisation” of antisemitism by the likes of the Heritage Foundation. Both initiatives began after the Hamas attacks of October 2023. Both identify real threats. Both are incomplete. And therein lies the problem.

Project Esther is designed to influence the policy of the Trump White House, whereas

the Nexus Project was established as a policy initiative to influence the Biden administration. Both focus on di erent manifestations of antisemitism, while ignoring or minimising it in their own camp.

The fact that they compete at all makes them part of the problem.

Antisemitism mutates, both on the left and now on the right For too long, liberal and left-leaning Jews dismissed antisemitism festering within progressive movements.

What began as intersectionality metastasised into something uglier: a worldview where Jews became acceptable targets and the ultimate oppressors. The post-7 October explosion of antisemitism at the nexus of the radical left and radical Islam wasn’t spontaneous; it was years in the making, ignored by those who didn’t want to see it. I, too, have been guilty of underestimating this problem.

Right-leaning and politically conservative Jews risk repeating this mistake in reverse.

Former Fox News superstar and major conservative influencer Tucker Carlson’s embrace of Holocaust revisionist Darryl Cooper and Hitler-lover Nick Fuentes should be alarming to every Jew.

Yet some conservatives have attempted to try and minimise these dangers because they come from political allies. Some have simply

taken the opportunity of blaming the left for these problems.

The same dynamic may ultimately threaten the community in the UK.

The recent controversy over diaspora a airs minister Amichai Chikli’s antisemitism conference illustrates both the problem and a potential solution.

The conference’s narrow focus on one side of the political spectrum rightly drew criticism – and here’s what matters: many diaspora Jewish leaders, including British ones, regardless of their political leanings, called it out.

This cross-political consensus on what constitutes unacceptable bias o ers a model we must embrace.

Jews everywhere face a precarious moment. Toxic antisemitism masquerading

as pro-Gaza activism demands constant vigilance. Our campuses have become hostile. Our streets have witnessed calls for intifada. None of this should be minimised. And now years of conspiracy theories on the fringes of the right are exploding into antisemitism. But aligning with one political tribe o ers no safety. History teaches us antisemitism is promiscuous in its political a liations. Today’s ally becomes tomorrow’s antagonist when winds shift.

The American experience o ers us a clear lesson: fighting antisemitism e ectively requires keeping it toxic across the political spectrum. This means calling out Jew-hatred wherever it appears, in progressive activism and conservative media, and in political movements left and right. It means refusing to give passes to antisemites who share our other political positions. It means building coalitions on principle, not partisanship.

We must resist letting combating antisemitism become another front in the culture wars. The moment we do, we’ve lost. Our safety depends not on political allegiance but on making clear that hatred of Jews is unacceptable – full stop, no exceptions, no matter the source.

America’s warning is clear. British Jews would do well to heed it.

And be seen!

From a Big Soup Serve to challah bakes and from toy drives to Chanukah card making, more than 400 synagogues and schools nationwide took part in Mitzvah Day, involving an estimated 40,000 volunteers and benefi tting 1,000 good causes

Derbyshire Jewish Community at Joybank Shop and Distribution centre in Sheffield

Birmingham Progressive Synagogue members joined Muslims, Christians, refugees and asylum seekers gathered to offer winter care at the Interfaith Orchard in Calthorpe Park

Joely Bear Appeal held a blood donation centre at Borehamwood & Elstree Synagogue which ran throughout the day

Childwall Synagogue supported Liverpool in Arms, a local charity that helps homeless people in the city of Liverpool

Project Impact collecting toys for Camp Simcha’s Toy Drive on Mitzvah Day

150 servings of veggie chilli for Share Wokingham were made at Maidenhead Synagogue

The Liberal Synagogue Elstree cheder children make apple swirls for Borehamwood foodbank

Photo by Marcus James-Pond

The Chief Rabbi visiting Hendon

Ilford Federation Synagogue collected for Chabad Aid, which supports financially struggling families and individuals of all faiths

St Albans Synagogue wrapping presents for US Chesed Toy Appeal

Rabbi Charley Baginsky at Progressive Judaism’s Northern Chagigah

Young members of South Hampstead Synagogue collected soup outisde local supermarkets

Rabbi Josh Levy and Bishop of Edmonton Revd Dr Anderson Jeremiah cook soup at Alyth

Edgware Hendon Reform Synagogue collected toys for the Camp Simcha Toy Drive on Mitzvah Day

Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue interfaith baking and challah braiding with BAPS Hindu Temple

Holocaust Survivors Centre making Chanukah cards for Camp Simcha on Mitzvah Day

Bushey United Synagogue cooked five different soups as part of the Big Soup Serve

Radlett Reform Synagogue chedar teachers with the Chanukah cards their children made for Norwood

Photo by Marcus James-Pond

Photo by Yakir Zur

Photo by Yakir Zur

Photo by Yakir Zur

Photo by by Simon Marcus

A look

Jewish theatre

Innovation hub

Bat Ella

Freddie’s story

Annabel Jankel’s father never told her his war experiences. It inspired her to make a movie about the Holocaust. By Darren Richman

Years before Annabel Jankel made Desperate Journey, she was lent the book of the same name by a friend. She was working on a music project at Abbey Road with Peter Van Hooke and he implored her to read the remarkable story of Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller. Van Hooke’s wife was a close friend of Knoller’s daughter but Jankel never did get round to reading the book until years later when she was offered the chance to direct the film version.

The result is a Holocaust picture, shot in Budapest, that follows Knoller on a journey that takes in Vienna, Paris and Auschwitz. Knoller fled the Nazis but ultimately ended up joining the French resistance while in close contact with Germans seeking pleasure in myriad forms at French nightclubs.

There are reminders of Casablanca and Cabaret in this war movie with its elements of romance, espionage and burlesque, and Jankel does an excellent job of juggling the various tones – perhaps unsurprising for a woman whose career choices have been eclectic to say the least.

The director grew up in Stanmore in a creative Jewish household. Her brother, Chaz, would become an integral member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, co-writing almost all of the band’s biggest hits. Their father was involved in the Normandy landings but it bothered Jankel that she “never got to hear about his experiences”, a common refrain from the children of parents who’ve experienced similar trauma.

Around the time her parents died in the 1980s, she developed an “intense interest” in D-Day and the Second World War.

“I started to do a lot of research but I didn’t even realise it was research – I would just read books about World War Two… I became more and more interested in this as the years went by so I was prepped to some extent before I even had to get into the deeper dive of what were we going to show.”

The desperate journey of the title took several years but Jankel, in collaboration with Oscarnominated screenwriter Michael Radford, manages to make the story work within a runtime of a couple of hours.

The real Knoller, who died in 2022 at 100, was involved in the early stages of production and was “thrilled” at what Jankel and team were doing. She could as easily be describing my own genial grandfather, a fellow Auschwitz survivor, when she says: “He had the most impish sense of humour, really upbeat, a fantastic character.”

Jankel’s own journey has been anything but linear. At the start, she directed music videos for the likes of Elvis Costello and Talking Heads before co-creating the iconic computerised TV presenter character Max Headroom for Channel 4. She remade a film noir classic, adapted Super Mario Bros for the big screen with Bob Hoskins and her previous film, 2018’s Tell It to the Bees, was a queer historical drama set in rural Scotland.

This is clearly not a filmmaker one can easily pigeonhole but such range was never part of an overarching plan: “It was a conscious decision in as much as I’ve always liked to experiment… I really wanted to explore the medium.”

As a fledgling artist, she was pressured into doing animation at university because of a lack of people on the course coupled with her undeniable drawing ability.

She explains: “After about a year, you get hooked on seeing your drawings move so I got waylaid and it took about ten years to come back to live action.”

Desperate Journey almost feels like Jankel’s career in microcosm, with a number of disparate elements coalescing to produce something quite unique.

She approached the film as though it was a road movie but the subject matter feels simultaneously timely and timeless.

“It’s always relevant to us Jews. I don’t think it ever really leaves us. I remember my father telling me at nine years old at the airport to never hand my papers over to anybody… I was always conscious of this stress level that we carry.”

Her intention for the film was an admirable one, inspired as it was by Knoller’s legacy of educating young people and the fact that “the last of the survivors have almost all left us”.

Jankel studied the Tudors at school but not the Second World War and feels as though Desperate Journey could help a new generation become aware of the horrors of the Holocaust. Her aim was to make a film “fast-paced enough and stimulating enough to draw in a younger audience”.

Knoller, like my grandfather, survived the camps before living a long life devoted to warning others about the dangers of hatred.

He was an upbeat man and thus it is fitting that the biopic is a hopeful film rather than a bitter one. As Jankel notes: “it’s amazing the way these survivors survived for so long.”

In a very real sense, works like Desperate Journey allow them to continue spreading their message even once they have gone.

It might have been 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, but stories like this one remain as important as ever.

 Desperate Journey is in cinemas now

Annabel Jankel

Danish actor Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen as Freddie Knoller in a scene from Desperate Journey

The burlesque world of 1940s Paris is a key setting for part of the action

A sombre scene from the flm

Should Jewish creatives only be staging work that shows Jewish people in a good light?

By Caroline Friedman

Our stories, our scars

Apowerful, controversial new play staged recently at JW3 provoked much debate in the Jewish community. The premise of Steinberg v Steinberg, based on a true story, is a mock trial by two sisters of their mother, who did not take action when their father sexually abused them. Could her complicity be excused because both parents were Holocaust survivors?

Beautifully written, impeccably researched and performed by two talented actors, it is set in 1987 when incest was not illegal in the US. Had the mother gone to the police, they would have said that no crime was being committed. But is now, when the community is receiving so much bad press, the time to launch this play?

“Yes,” says playwright Annelise Bianchini, who also stars in the show. She based Steinberg v Steinberg on her own mother’s story.

“To only stage work that shows Jewish people in a good light is to bypass the shadow side of the human condition. What would this achieve? Are we trying to trick people? Our art cannot be oriented in relation to antisemites. Why should we let their racism and bias stop us from creating art that boldly delves into our complexities, flaws and unresolved traumas?

“After the rehearsed readings of my play, both Jews and non-Jews told me that they had experienced something similar to

what happens in the story, and how much the reading meant to them and a ected them. We go to the theatre to see something real, to be moved, to be challenged, and to be changed. We are just as human as the rest.”

Theatre creative Estee Stimler says: “I’m the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. I am also a theatremaker and an advocate for Jewish stories – stories that celebrate, illuminate and humanise who we are. In recent months, I’ve found myself increasingly at odds with a troubling trend in Jewish theatre: plays that reduce Jewish characters to symbols of trauma, dysfunction or cruelty. Works that risk reinforcing the very stereotypes and suspicions that fuel the world’s oldest hatred.

“Jewish creatives are vilified online. I have received death threats for speaking out. In this climate, storytelling is not neutral. Theatre doesn’t live in a vacuum; it lands in a culture already primed to misread, distort, and weaponise the stories we tell about ourselves. What is the cost of putting yet another ‘di cult’ Jewish character on stage? When a Jewish character is lovable, laughable, flawed but forgivable, we invite non-Jews to connect with us. That’s how theatre becomes a bridge, not a bludgeon. Tell Jewish stories. But tell them wisely.”

Playwright Julia Pascal says:

“Sholem Asch’s early 20th century drama God of Vengeance told the

story of a rabbi who kept a brothel in his basement. It has inspired many Jewish writers. I presented a scene from it in The Yiddish Queen Lear. We must always call out hypocrisy and lies within our own community. It is a Jewish tradition.”

But Maureen Lipman says: “It’s a precarious time for Jewish people everywhere and this play should probably have been put on hold.”

Last year, theatre producer and actor Rachel Ga n created Joyfully Jewish, producing new plays that are all about the joys of being Jewish and sharing them with Jewish and non-Jewish audiences alike.

“There are obviously good and bad people in every culture, race and religion, so for me, it’s okay to draw evil characters who happen to be Jewish, but it very much depends on the context,” she says.

“A play featuring a whole cast of non-Jewish ‘good’ characters with one ‘baddie’ who happens to be Jewish would, understandably, be seen as antisemitic. But when you have a play with several Jewish characters, written by a Jewish writer, that’s going to attract a mainly Jewish audience, I think it’s legitimate to portray a complex character with questionable behaviour who is Jewish.”

Rachel Borchard Lewis, a theatre producer and trustee of Shoresh Charitable Trust, whose work includes supporting Jewish arts in the UK, says: “My role isn’t to protect audiences from uncomfortable

truths, but to ensure that a production has purpose and integrity.”

Alastair Falk, founder of Tsitsit, the Jewish Fringe Festival, says that art should challenge and make us question as much as it makes us laugh and feel good, while actress Sue Kelvin says it is the job of drama to examine humanity in all its contradictory facets.

“Since when have Jews feared the truth?” says writer, actor, director and academic Jack Kla . “Isn’t the Jewish tradition built on the courage to ask the toughest questions?

“Theatre is a place for laughter, yes, but also to confront uncomfortable realities, to provoke thought, discussion, transformation and the betterment of human beings. Jews are called the People of the Argument because they search for truth.”

Natan Paul Collis, founder of The Jewish Drama Association of London says a performance can show us in a negative light if it is “only staged between us but I cannot see the point of presenting us in a bad light to the external world”.

William Galinsky, director of programming and impact at JW3, said: “Each year, more than 6,000 people come to our panto, an unashamedly vibrant, joyfully Jewish expression of our culture.

“But we would be doing a disservice to our community if we did not also give space for more di cult stories, told with honesty and integrity.”

Annelise Bianchini and Grace Wallis in Steinberg vs Steinberg

Alistair Falk

Maureen Lipman

Estee Stimler

Jack Klaff

By Candice Krieger candicekrieger@googlemail.com

THE ENTREPRENEUR PLOTTING A NEW INDUSTRIAL REVIVAL

Michael Korn is building an innovation hub to help turn clever prototypes into viable manufacturing, writes Candice Krieger

or decades, Jews were at the heart of Britain’s shmutter trade – the textile and tailoring businesses that dressed post-war Britain and powered generations of Jewish entrepreneurs. Now Michael Korn, the designer and entrepreneur behind the KwickScreen privacy system that is used in every NHS trust, is drawing on that same heritage to fuel a new kind of industrial revival.

His latest venture, Blue Garage, a 38,000-square-foot innovation hub in Lewisham, south London, is tackling what he calls the “valley of death” – the point between early-stage research with a prototype and a viable product with real-world manufacturing, where many UK hardware start-ups fail.

“We’re brilliant at inventing things in this country but we often fail at turning them into scalable businesses,” says Korn, a winner of the James Dyson award. “That’s the scale-up gap and it’s killing o good ideas before they

have a chance to grow.”

Korn believes part of the problem lies in how the UK funds innovation. “Investors love tech and software because they scale fast and don’t need factories. But the companies that make real things – in advanced materials, clean technologies and high-value manufacturing – are the ones that build long-term value, jobs and resilience. We’ve lost sight of that.”

At a time when British manufacturing is under pressure from rising costs, skills

shortages and fragile supply chains, Korn argues that the UK must rediscover its roots as a nation of builders and makers. “We have all the talent we need to be a world leader in manufacturing, we just need to back our innovators. The UK can’t keep exporting ideas and importing products. The next generation of great British companies needs to be made here.”

Korn sits on the advisory committee of Parliament’s Manufacturing Commission, co-chaired by Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea and Bill Esterson MP, and last month went to the House of Lords to call on the government to support small manufacturers through shared industrial infrastructure, smarter public procurement and patient capital investment.

Garage is that missing middle ground.”

He is adamant that “the future of manufacturing will feel more local and human again. We’ll buy from people we know, made locally, made sustainably.

“Manufacturing is how Britain became great and it’s how we’ll build resilience again.”

A former Haberdashers’ boy, Korn, 44, studied Manufacturing Engineering at Cambridge University before completing a master’s in Industrial Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College. It was there that he developed the concept for KwickScreen, a retractable privacy and infection control screen that is now used in every NHS trust and across the US.

“Britain can build again,” he says. “We’re brilliant at inventing things, now we just need to get brilliant at making them again.”

Blue Garage – named after the site’s big blue loading bay doors and, as Korn puts it, “because the best ideas come out of the blue” – recently marked its one-year anniversary.

Part-funded by Lewisham Council, Blue Garage o ers shared equipment, co-working studios and fabrication labs for more than 40 early-stage companies, from clean-tech innovators to AI-driven textile designers. Startups pay from £150 a month and get access to advanced tools, from CNC cutting and metal welding to industrial sewing machines and 3-D printers.

Among them are Staxel, an AI-powered billboard that dispenses food; a start-up developing technology to detect malaria through insect sound analysis; and several sustainable textile ventures using bioplastics and seaweed-based fibres.

“It’s a vibrant community of makers. Some are one-person teams, others are growing fast. What unites us is that we’re all ambitiously building real things and we’re all trying to solve real problems. The problems we see can’t be solved with just code – many startups need equipment, expertise and somewhere to make mistakes safely. Blue

“I know how hard it is to take a physical idea from prototype to production. Blue Garage is the support system I wish I’d had.”

Korn credits his Jewish heritage for his entrepreneurial maker’s mindset. One grandfather fled Iraq and became an NHS doctor; another was a Holocaust survivor and tailor. “I’ve always felt I’m a mix of both – the problem solver and the maker. “Blue Garage is where those worlds meet.”

Korn hopes to spark a new generation of innovators. “People will always need textiles and materials,” he says. “But the way we make them is changing. The future is sustainable, AI-enabled and often will be locally produced. We’re bringing that manufacturing capability back to Britain.”

The model is already attracting attention from investors, universities and corporates and Korn plans to establish a new creative cluster in southeast London and then to roll the concept out nationally, with each Blue Garage creating a hub for innovative hardware scaleups tailored to regional strengths.

“If we get this right, we’ll create thousands of jobs and dozens of investable businesses. It’s about rebuilding our industrial confidence.

“The shmutter trade built communities and futures once, now innovation and manufacturing can do it again.”

• bluegarage.org

Blue Garage Demo Day in October brought together more than 200 entrepreneurs

The Blue Garage UV printer in Lewisham

Michael Korn

MAKING SENSE OF THE SEDRA

In our thought-provoking series, rabbis, rebbetzins and educators relate the week’s parsha to the way we live today

BY RABBI BRENDAN STERN SENIOR RABBI, BUSHEY UNITED SYNAGOGUE

We all have the potential to make an impact

A management consultant once visited a thriving company and asked the chief executive which of his executives was the most  indispensable.

The CEO surprised him by pointing to a quiet, middleaged woman who worked in a corner  cubicle.

“She’s not our top strategist,” he explained, “nor our most senior manager. But when she’s away, the whole building feels it. She remembers everyone’s birthday, notices when someone is struggling and somehow keeps the mood hopeful

when projects get tough. When she’s gone, productivity drops – not because of her job description, but because of her presence.”

This woman’s impact, hidden in plain sight among star performers, showed that influence isn’t about titles or talent – it’s about the unique light a person brings simply by being who they are.

“Yaakov departed from Be’er Sheva and went to Charan.” (Bereishit 28:10) – given we already know where Yaakov was leaving from, why doesn’t the Torah simply tell us in this week’s parsha, Vayeitzei, where he was going?

Rashi answers that the Torah is emphasising the axiom that when a tzaddik (righteous individual) leaves a place, his absence creates a void felt by those remaining behind.

If Avraham and Yitzchak also undertook multiple travels, why is there no similar statement about the impact that their respective departures had on the populace?

The Kli Yakar answers that the impact of Yaakov’s departure was somewhat unique and surprising, because when Avraham and Yitzchak moved from place to the place, their families and students came with them, thus leaving no religious role models behind. Of course, given such a spiritual exodus, their absence was felt by those who remained behind.

But when Yaakov fled, his parents – both great tzaddikim – remained behind. One might have reasoned, therefore, that in such circumstances the impact of the departure of yet another tzaddik would be

negligible. Thus, suggests the Kli Yakar, our sages emphasise that Yaakov’s greatness was so extraordinary that despite the continued presence of Yitzchak and Rivka, his absence was still noticeable.

Yaakov’s greatness was so extraordinary that despite the continued presence of Yitzchak and Rivka, his

absence was still noticeable.

Very often we fall into the trap of thinking that we can only have an impact when there is nobody else around doing good work.

However, when we find ourselves amongst others of stature, possibly greater than ourselves, we erroneously shift the responsibility over to those deemed more equipped than us and release ourselves of any and all accountability to influence our  surroundings.

The void felt by Yaakov’s departure teaches us that no matter how thriving a neighbourhood we live in, there is always more to be done and there are ways for everyone to make a di erence.

Like Yaakov before us, we all have the potential to leave a lasting and unique impact.

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Each person brings unique light

Progressive Judaism

LEAP OF FAITH

BY RABBI HANNAH KINGSTON NORTH WESTERN REFORM SYNAGOGUE ALYTH GARDENS

Twenty years of Mitzvah Day

A rabbi, a bishop, a Muslim and a politician enter a kitchen – it sounds like the opening line of a slightly overtold joke. But that was exactly what happened on Sunday across the country as people from all faiths gathered together to make mitzvot, good deeds, on the 20th anniversary of Mitzvah Day.

As I shared my chopping board with the Bishop of Edmonton, Rt Revd Dr Anderson Jeremiah, we joked about our days, compared aspects of our work and enjoyed the dulcet tones of background guitar music from a member of our cooking team avoiding getting his hands dirty.

Many things make Mitzvah Day unique. It is the UK’s largest faithled day of social action, with more

‘I

than 2,000 projects taking place and more than 55,000 volunteers.

It is not a day of giving money, but of giving time, a day rooted in action which supports both Jewish and non-Jewish causes alike.

But the thing that made it feel profoundly special this year was something di erent. Coming in a time of rising antisemitism, this was a day that was proudly, unapologetically Jewish.

We celebrated what we strive to do as Jews every day, to “be a light unto the nations” as Isaiah commands us, by giving back to the wider community. And we did it alongside people of all faiths, and people of no faith, who share in our values and who also seek to make the world a better place.

Across the country, there were

multiple projects where Jews and non-Jews sat alongside one another, not divided by their politics, but united in their desire to do some good in a world that is often harsh and unkind.

Many of the projects were simple: making a cupcake to send to residents of a care home, planting bulbs, clearing rubbish. Small acts that were profound reminders that each of us can spark joy and spread a smile.

So I head back into the kitchen, where volunteers of six faiths chopped and stirred, laughed and shared stories. Together we made over 50 bowls of soup, some of which were delivered to the Barnet Winter Shelter, and some of which were frozen to use at a refugee drop-in later this month. The aim of the project was to create something warm, hearty and nourishing. After cooking and sharing a bowl of soup, I

A stimulating series where our progressive rabbis consider Judaism in the face of 21stcentury issues

believe we all left feeling nourished –not just by food, but by the love, kindness and friendship we experienced. Through this act of giving, we built bridges and lasting relationships.

In our world that so often feels divided, Mitzvah Day o ered a moment of connection, a reminder that our shared values, hopes and humanity can still bring us together.

believe that the good will come’

Israeli singer Bat Ella is coming to the UK in December. By Louisa Walters

Israeli singer songwriter Bat Ella is performing in London and Manchester next month. In Israel, Bat Ella performs across the country in major venues and at festivals, including the prestigious Tel Aviv Museum of Art Music Festival. She is also a regular singer at Kabbalat Shabbat services and performed at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on the first Friday after October 7, when the square became a central gathering place for prayer, solidarity, and hope.

With her close-cropped whiteblonde hair, jeans and boots Bat Ella is very much a secular Jew. “There is more than one way to be a Jew,” she says. “I am a secular person and when I sing songs from Jewish sources, it’s not because I feel commanded to do so, it’s because they are a source of treasure that give me inspiration and wisdom.”

Bat Ella credits her late friend, the American singer Debbie Friedman, with enabling her to come to terms with her Jewish and Israeli identity and two years ago performed at Finchley Reform Synagogue on her way to Limmud, just as Debbie had done in 2010, the year she died. “Debbie made me feel at home with my Judaism; to feel comfortable,

proud and even to fall in love with my Judaism.”

She embraces ‘Jewish peoplehood’ – the notion that “you should put aside all your political and religious views and opinions and then ask yourself what are the things that make us one people? When I perform around the world for Jewish communities the idea is to celebrate what we have in common and to celebrate what makes us really strong together.”

She says her audience is not passive - they sing and dance. “This is a crucial part of my concert – to celebrate our Judaism, to celebrate the things that bring us together, that we are one people.”

Bat Ella recognises that the Jewish disapora has been su ering since October 7 and that “Israel is not the only story - for our brothers and sisters overseas the challenges are di erent. So for me to come and to perform abroad is to bring the Israeli spirit, a hug of solidarity and to say thank you.” She will perform at events organised by The Israeli Philharmonic Foundation UK, as well as at the Manchester Jewish Museum in a Chanukahinspired concert celebrating light and renewal on December 7. Earlier this year she sang at Park Avenue Syna-

gogue in New York and Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, where she was invited as a guest singer for the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.

Since October 7 Bat Ella has been performing across Israel for hostage families, soldiers, the wounded, evacuees and families that lost their loved ones. “Every song that I sing, if it’s an old one or a new one, gets a new interpretation – I sing it from a di erent place in my heart.”

“Right now, it’s a time of hope and optimism and we have to hold on really, really tight. I believe that the good will come. At the end of my concerts I ask the audience to stand up, to hug and to sing so that they leave with an uplifted spirit and the same belief. We are people who believe in life - we choose life. I also choose happiness. October 7 made me realise happiness is not a destination. It’s a way of life to respect and to appreciate the little things that we take for granted. The war made us understand that to wake up in the morning to see your family, to see that everybody is healthy and alive, is happiness”.

 Bat Ella is performing at the Manchester Jewish Museum on 7 December.

manchesterjewishmuseum.com

Volunteers hard at work doing their good deeds for Mitzvah Day

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